Australians and the U.S. Constitution

[DGS49]

I'm watching an entertaining Netflix television series based in Canberra called, "The Secret City."

Watch Secret City | Netflix Official Site

A relentless muckraker pushes for truth and transparency in Australia’s corridors of political power, despite threats to her life and career.

www.netflix.com

While this is fiction, I'm constantly observing the great differences that the U.S. Constitution (and its application) would make in the story lines. For example,

• Arrests are made with no warrant, no "probable cause," and really, no explanation to the person being arrested. "National security" is the explanation, and everyone just shrugs their shoulders and says, "OK."
• People whose lives are in imminent danger - it doesn't even seem to occur to them that they might want to be armed with a handgun.
• When confronted by someone with a handgun, it doesn't seem to occur to the threatened person that they could seize that handgun in less time than it would take for the holder to get it out, aim it, cock it, and do anything lethal with it. They seem to go catatonic at the very sight of the weapon.
• The government tells people they have to "shut up" about eminently newsworthy matters, and they just do it (under threat of arrest). In the U.S., they would be calling the New York Times the moment the Government agent leaves the premises, knowing that they would be protected by the First Amendment.
• They drive on the wrong side of the road.

I wonder if this is a realistic showing of how it would play out in that nation's capital.

 

[bambu.]

I'm watching an entertaining Netflix television series based in Canberra called, "The Secret City."

Watch Secret City | Netflix Official Site

A relentless muckraker pushes for truth and transparency in Australia’s corridors of political power, despite threats to her life and career.

www.netflix.com

While this is fiction, I'm constantly observing the great differences that the U.S. Constitution (and its application) would make in the story lines. For example,

• Arrests are made with no warrant, no "probable cause," and really, no explanation to the person being arrested. "National security" is the explanation, and everyone just shrugs their shoulders and says, "OK."
• People whose lives are in imminent danger - it doesn't even seem to occur to them that they might want to be armed with a handgun.
• When confronted by someone with a handgun, it doesn't seem to occur to the threatened person that they could seize that handgun in less time than it would take for the holder to get it out, aim it, cock it, and do anything lethal with it. They seem to go catatonic at the very sight of the weapon.
• The government tells people they have to "shut up" about eminently newsworthy matters, and they just do it (under threat of arrest). In the U.S., they would be calling the New York Times the moment the Government agent leaves the premises, knowing that they would be protected by the First Amendment.
• They drive on the wrong side of the road.

I wonder if this is a realistic showing of how it would play out in that nation's capital.

Last one first.
I like sitting on the right side of the car, and driving on the left side of the road.
With my dominant right hand on the steering wheel, I operate the manual stick shift with my left hand. Dominant right hand also operating the turn signal, which is on the right side of the steering column.
The person in the front passenger seat cannot just move their right foot onto the accelerator pedal and send the car speeding [out of control like I saw in a movie]...as the accelerator pedal is hard against the right wall of the car.

In America you can't just say or write whatever you like, there are hate speech laws, terrorism laws etc.

The chance of being confronted by someone with a handgun in Australia is very very very very very remote...unless you're a gangster from the underworld.

In Australia you can be arrested for breaking the law, the cops don't need a warrant. Spewing forth racial, religious hatred in public for example, cops will soon arrest you and put you in the 'dog box' [hope you don't like small, cramped spaces]. on the back of their truck.

To smash their way into your home and arrest you they need a warrant.

 

[ozro]

I am American. I like driving on the right side of the road, except when I've imbibed in a few of those Australian Fosters Lager. After that I prefer the sidewalk, and I blame Australia for that.